The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1887-10-26
THE DEXTER TRAGEDY.
Stain and cromweIi held for TrIa
AYrA Sfao>e Ga>e Mtm. or

! PusflNE lpf NruIDuluN ~ tirlzEN>
on DfNrrE ANp OuIrR~.
The State very fortunately was able Il
make out very strong case again,
| Stain and Cromwell at Dexter Saturday
securing their being held for the action OF
| the Grand jury of Penobscot. At the next
term Of Court. \ yer, large crowd at
tended the trial The excitement was
intense. David Stains daughter Cora
WAS their, aud Cromwell wife. Judge
Walden called the crowd 10 orter,
County Attorney, Appleton of Bangor.
opened for the State.
He referred to the great crime COM
mitted February I'd. is. He traced
the history Of the Barron case showed
how Barron was found, and I'D 4
marks on him Indicated without question
that lie had been the subject Of a foul
murder. He said it was not the pu po>c
Of the government 10 introduce evidence
to show how Barron was found. That
WAS familiar to everybody The excite
ment in this community over the finding
of Barron was without parallel The in
cidcnt sank deep into the midst Of the
people at that time 1t is only now. al
this late day, that the government Is abe
to say that it believes il has struck a
clew that has led 10 the apprehension Of
thes criminals and will lead them to
ultimate conviction. 1t is not the gov
ernment purpose to lay before the
court at the present time all the facts
. I'M -
posed 10 only outline for the court in a
general way. the more important facts
that Nil give the court reasons to be
lieec that these are the men who com
mitcd the this deed. The indentlicatons
Of the accused by citizens Of Dexter,
was very damaging To the defense. 1t
was positive and explicit, and could not
bc shaken by cross examinations. Ben
janin Thompson Capt. DAME w.
McCrllis, Elmer \ Brewster, Thomas
Bickuell and others, testified in this line :
Burnham Estes, Of Troy, who fol
lowed the Barron murlcrcrs to Mass
achuSett, after the tragedy. was sent for
Saturday to act a. a witness in this cast
he refused to come and warrant for his
rest was made out. The officer found
Estes Saturday very i'll, 50 he alleged
Estes refused steadily To come. lie says
Mitchell stole his evidence and won't
testify in this cast unless he is assured II
big reward. He is evidently on his
make. Il will be remembered he offered
Mrs. Barron, to bring the criminals for
- .oo0
Charles II. Ba@ley, Corintha, sworn.
Was in Dexter on day of the Barron
tragedy aud was upstairs of the bank
Just before noon Went up to get check
cashed' Is | went upstairs, SAW
mans foot disappear through the
Masonic hall folding doors He closed
the door from inside.
Edward + Burns, of the Boston Globe,
then testified to conversation with
Cromwell who said when told that
Harvey was to he a witness 1T is all up
with US then
The testimony of John f. Harvey.
formerly one of the Stain gang was very
damaging to the accused. | told Crom-
we'll said he that Charlie Stain was way
down in Maine and could do no hurt
there. Said Cromwell: That i the
place where he can do the hnrt.' What
about / said. Why on the Dexter
Bank affair, he replied, and then he
told me that Stain and himself did job
down there. Charles + Stain was next
called and told practically the >amr story
that has already been published. lie
gave in Il detailed form an account of
the preliminary trips on which lie ac-
companied the gang to Maine at the time
they made their survey of the situation,
but was not with them when the crime
was committed. He also related how his
father in a tit of sickness told him that
he committed the crime, saying that he
= H. 1 Il
II son to take him away. 1t WAS thought
that the witness might be sadly mixed on
cross examination, but hr held to his
story remarkably well
Mr. Crosby opened for the defence,
He said this was the most remarkable
case ever known. The number of lies
that have appeared in the papers was
astonishing lie knew of his personal
knowledge IA hundred lies that had been
told 1t has been remarked that the
Dexter Bank officers employed the coun-
sci for the defense. The story is false.
Identification after nine years is i'm
possible. \ man could not positively
identify his own brother after that
length Of time | admit that Cromwell
might have causually boosted to Harvey
in regard to the Dexter affair. The
testimony of two men with the record of
Harvey and Stain is worth nothing. No
body Will put the least faith in what
these men say. We hive plenty of evil
dcncc but don't want 10 j troduce it
here, 1t the IA torney for the Govern
mcnt want the men bound over we have
nothing to say.
Attorney General Baker closed the
case for the Government in a brief but
powerful review of the evidence. He
secuted the theory which has been adj
vano ed that Mr.. Barron came to his death
by his own hand and the rounds of ap
plause that followed the emphatic dec
laralion of his belief that the Bank
Treasurer was the victim of murder
most foul and brutal showed that the
sentiment of the great throng in the hall
was overwhelmed opposed to the sui
side theory. While the Government had
presented n mere outline of the chain of
evidence against these men, at the prop
er time ample proof will be forthcoming
to fully sustain the Governments case
against the prisoners.
Judge Walden found probable eau e
and ordered the prisoners to be com
mited to Jail to wait the Februery term of
Court. 1t was about seven O'Clock when
the Court adjourned. The prisoners
were taken to the hotel for supper and
left FIR Bangor on the S.lj train.
John Harvey and yong Stain went to
Readteld where they will remain for the
present.